Industria Argentina

The divine empanadas are very tender, flaky puff pastry stuffed with inspired fillings like hand-carved beef. (Courtesy of Esther Montero)

Warm and rustic, restaurant Industria Argentina vibrates with tradition and respect for food.

Executive chef Natalia Machado conjures up an eclectic Argentine menu with sensational flavors to please the soul as much as the eye and palate. Be prepared to embark on a journey into a world of indulgence when sampling Machado’s creations of flavors from Argentina’s culinary heritage. 

Finally, a genuine experience of Argentina is here in New York! And that from a chef who opted for culinary arts over medical school. She not only worked with the best Argentine’s chefs but also persevered as pastry chef in an industry when it shunned women in the kitchen.

Everything is made in house with ingredients from Argentina or from local specialty stores.

Machado discovers and creates, even perfected her grandmother’s gnocchi recipe. She goes to great lengths to find just the right local squash to perfect an Argentine dessert called simply “Pumpkin in Syrup.”

The acorn squash is caramelized and pickled in lime and in simple syrup to create a unique, crisp texture on the outside while the inside remains creamy.

Serious attention is given to every detail. The restaurant’s setting is rustic Argentine. The name, Industria Argentina, “made in Argentina,” means everything comes from there, including the woven, leather-panel-framed bar, which features Argentine wines.

Tables are crafted from imported lapacho wood. Soft leather chairs, warm candlelight, and large-scale wall art styled after tree-branch sculptures complete the ambience.

The wine cellar with handcrafted wooden tables can accommodate up to 32 guests for a sit-down meal where custom menus are available for the occasion.

Machado is very much hands-on throughout the entire restaurant.

Almost everything from the menu is cooked in the wood-fired oven.

Machado blends and interprets flavors of different Argentine regions, commenting that Argentine cuisine has “a comfortable take on European influence where most Argentineans come from. Everything is simple and straightforward. Nothing is over-sauced. 

“The basic traditions and recipes come from Spain, Italy, and England. I’m not looking to do new cuisine, but to recreate the classics. I want to give it my own style, not kill the memory.”

Her focus is mostly on the cuisine of Patagonia, the place she loves and where she grew up.

“I like to work with Patagonian cuisine because it provides a wider variety of culinary experiences by using seafood, lamb, and pork. It allows me to explore ingredients and to expose what Argentine food is all about. I cannot offer Argentine beef because I cannot import it. [I can] not bring the cow here.”

For a weeknight, the place was buzzing.

The sensational journey of indulgence can start with the light and flaky empanadas prepared with a vast number of fillings. The most outstanding is the hand-cut beef with smoked paprika and scallion stuffing cooked in the wood-fired oven.

The empanadas come by the dozen ($43), the half dozen ($22), or only two ($8). The menu offers more than beef or chorizos [highly seasoned pork sausage], such as lamb, wine sausage, and a variety of seafood.

Many other specialties Machado spoke of reminded me of magical moments of my childhood, like the roast organic chicken and the suckling pig, available once every other week.

She cooks the lamb in the blazing wood-fired oven just like my mother did where I grew up. Mother would send similar dishes to be cooked in the neighborhood baker’s oven.

We went for the unexpected. The Provoleta ($14), oven-roasted smoked provolone with house-dried tomatoes, fresh oregano, and toasted slices of baguettes was outstanding. You have to slow down to savor every bite.

The cheese is quite distinctive, not extra heavy, but fatty, chewy, and a bit salty that stands well against the tomatoes’ tartness and sweetness, as if teasing yet caressing one’s every taste bud. It was remarkable.

Then the expected arrived, Tira de Asado ($25), the beef short ribs, cut to the bone, dry aged for two weeks, and then were rubbed with salt, pepper, and herbs. They are cut thin enough to work over the grill. The texture is chewy, with flavorful and crunchy edges.

One of Machado’s treasures appeared at table: the savory Cordero Patagonico ($34), Patagonian-style rack of lamb marinated for 24 hours in smoked paprika, garlic, and rosemary, finished with oven-roasted tomatoes and a Malbec wine reduction with oak honey sauce. 

Snuggled against the meat was the most delicious slightly charred polenta with a crispy outside but soft interior. It jumped with flavors, which were almost provocative. The moment I took a bite I thought I had gone to heaven.

The tender meat melted in our mouths while the sauce bursts with flavors, inviting us to sop it up with the polenta. How I wished I had more of the polenta so I could enjoy every bit of it. It was a culinary revelation.

Although the desert menu features a common Argentine selection, as you bite into Machado’s creations, your spirit takes off with decadence and wonder.

The bread pudding was almost decomposed. The thickest, most condensed, rich, and smooth flan was a sinful yet joyous experience.

Open for lunch, dinner, and brunch.
Monday through Saturday: 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. Sunday: 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
329 Greenwich St. (between Duane and Jay streets)
New York, NY 10013
212-965-8560
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